Five signs your health and safety software is outdated

Like all software, health and safety software systems don’t stay relevant forever. But is it time to upgrade to a modern health and safety platform now or can you survive using your existing system?

Here are five signs that your health and safety software is out of date and a modern H&S solution will deliver benefits which outweigh costs associated with making the switch.

1. It lacks a proper mobile interface

Safety incidents, near-misses, observations, audits and the like rarely occur when you’re seated at an office desk. So it begs the question why old H&S software systems still require login from a desktop internet browser to enter data? It shouldn’t be that way, and it doesn’t have to be. If you’re stuck with this scenario your H&S is not engaging workers, it’s taking up their valuable time, and it’s not keeping them safer. Time for change.

2. For workers it is only useful for inputting data

Engaged teams are seven times less likely to have an accident at work – and that’s a key reason why it is important your HSE software engages workers. If the software allows workers to input reports only which then disappear into a database then your software is part of a problem, not a solution. This includes mobile apps which only allow one-way data reporting. Modern H&S solutions offer two-way communication through the interface; they share important safety information with other workers instantly, and they proactively engage workers. If your EHS software is useful for EHS management, but not for workers – it’s time for change.

3. It’s difficult to get real-time data insights
Many clients come to us because they can’t get up-to-date insights on key metrics that will help them improve their health and safety. For example, if you can’t easily pull up data every day/week/month (preferably with visualizations) on what your key near-misses are in the business, then your software is failing you. Time for change.

4. Getting data out into other systems is difficult
One of the drivers of digital transformation and the rise of business intelligence is increasing interoperability between software systems. The ability to share data between systems means you can do more with safety data, bringing better analysis, awareness and enabling better decisions and results. Easy integration of data and export of data is a must for any modern safety leader. If you don’t have this it is time for change.

5. It doesn’t proactively make your workers safer

For workers in the field shouldn’t safety software be more than just a tool for data entry? It already can be – modern mobile safety software like the SaferMe platform puts a safety alerting tool in their pocket. The workers will be notified instantly if they come near danger, if a colleague has had a near-miss, or if important safety information needs to reach them. Two-way communication is the future for modern health and safety software, and leading organisations are already utilising this technology today.